Compare the2024 Audi S5 SportbackVS 2023 Nissan Maxima

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi S5 Sportback have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Nissan Maxima doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The S5 Sportback’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Maxima doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the S5 Sportback and Maxima have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The S5 Sportback has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Maxima’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The S5 Sportback has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Maxima doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The S5 Sportback has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Maxima doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the S5 Sportback and Maxima offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the S5 Sportback with Rear Cross-Traffic Assist also has Automatic Brake Activation (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Maxima’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the S5 Sportback and the Maxima have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the S5 Sportback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 135 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Maxima is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

The S5 Sportback comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Maxima’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The S5 Sportback’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Maxima’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 9 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

The S5 Sportback’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 49 more horsepower (349 vs. 300) and 108 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 261) than the Maxima’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi S5 Sportback is faster than the Nissan Maxima:

	S5 Sportback	Maxima
Zero to 60 MPH	4.3 sec	5.9 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	10.9 sec	14.1 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	5.8 sec	6 sec
Quarter Mile	12.9 sec	14.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	108 MPH	101 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Regenerative brakes improve the S5 Sportback’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Maxima doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the S5 Sportback’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Maxima doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi S5 Sportback uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Maxima requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi S5 Sportback higher (5 out of 10) than the Nissan Maxima (3). This means the S5 Sportback produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Maxima every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the S5 Sportback’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Maxima:

	S5 Sportback	Maxima
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.13 inches

The S5 Sportback stops much shorter than the Maxima:

	S5 Sportback	Maxima
70 to 0 MPH	158 feet	168 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	105 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the S5 Sportback has larger standard tires than the Maxima (255/35R19 vs. 245/45R18). The S5 Sportback’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Maxima (265/30R20 vs. 245/45R18).

The S5 Sportback’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Maxima SV’s standard 45 series tires. The S5 Sportback’s optional tires have a lower 30 series profile than the Maxima SR/Platinum’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the S5 Sportback has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Maxima SV. The S5 Sportback’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Maxima SR/Platinum.

Suspension and Handling

The S5 Sportback has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Maxima’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The S5 Sportback offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Maxima’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S5 Sportback’s wheelbase is 1.9 inches longer than on the Maxima (111.2 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

The S5 Sportback’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Maxima’s (60.8% to 39.2%). This gives the S5 Sportback more stable handling and braking.

The S5 Sportback Prestige handles at .93 G’s, while the Maxima Platinum pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The S5 Sportback Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the Maxima Platinum (25 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 27 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

Chassis

The S5 Sportback is 5.6 inches shorter than the Maxima, making the S5 Sportback easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The S5 Sportback has .3 inches more rear headroom and .9 inches more rear legroom than the Maxima.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the S5 Sportback has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Maxima doesn’t offer a power trunk.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the S5 Sportback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Maxima. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Nissan. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 16% lower rating, Nissan is ranked 18th.

Ergonomics

The S5 Sportback Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Maxima doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The S5 Sportback’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Maxima’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the S5 Sportback and the Maxima have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the S5 Sportback is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Maxima prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The S5 Sportback’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Maxima’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The S5 Sportback’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Maxima’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the S5 Sportback to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Maxima doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Laser headlights, standard on the S5 Sportback Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Maxima’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The S5 Sportback’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Maxima’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the S5 Sportback has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Maxima doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The S5 Sportback has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Maxima SR/Platinum.

The S5 Sportback has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Maxima.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi S5 Premium Plus/Prestige has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Maxima doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The S5 Sportback Prestige’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Maxima doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Audi S5 comes in coupe, convertible and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Nissan Maxima isn’t available as a coupe or convertible.

Recommendations

The Audi A5/S5/RS 5 outsold the Nissan Maxima by almost three to one during 2022.